The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section, or associated with the subject matter of the background section, should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves, may also be inventions.
Accurate forecasting of intentions of identified persons and other entities to purchase products by type and by specific product model is of value to vendors and providers of various goods and services in many consumer markets. The prior art includes modeling online behavior and information provided online by users of web browsers as well as formulas for estimating purchase timing and intention in view of information related to identified entities, e.g., individual persons, organizations, and associations. For example, knowing that a particular person is searching the web for performance, configuration, pricing and availability information describing a type of automobile or a make and model of an automobile is interpreted in the prior art to indicate a likelihood that that person might be considered a near-term sales prospect for one or more automobile or truck models. In addition, the prior art teaches that the online and offline purchasing history of an entity and other factors related to a same entity, such as age, annual income level, marital status, home ownership status, domicile location, work address and other factors can also be relevant in assessing the timing and purchasing preferences of the identified entity. Yet the prior art fails to optimally integrate information related to a same entity that can be sourced from both online behavior and additional information to indicate purchasing intent and immediacy of possible purchasing of specific goods and services by category or by make, model, year of manufacture or generation, brand, or reputation.
Towards this and other objects made obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure, a system and method are provided that improve the accuracy and reliability of forecasting purchasing intent and likely immediacy of purchase of a specific product or service or type of product or service in view of both (a.) online behavior associated with an identified entity and (b.) additional information descriptive of and/or related to the identified entity. Additional information that might be applied in generating an expectation of likelihood to purchase a good or service includes, but is not limited to, geographic locations of potential purchasers, geographic locations product or service marketing operations, indications of a time and day that information was acquired, indications of a time and day that a specified event occurred, was observed or ended, a demographic category with which an associated entity is classified, and one or a plurality of purchasing history data, financial data, and documentations of events occurring during the life of and affecting an associated entity.